True, that was an assumption on my point. I just assume you use a shotgun to blast people and you are going to kill yourself you use the weapon on
yourself as well. Been around guns my whole life and had a family member end their life with a shotgun. It can be difficult to tell who is dead unless
you nearly see them do it or check their prints. Well depending on the size of the weapon that is, of course some do more damage than others.

Other than that for anyone in the area I would still be alert. Until they know positively sure it is him he could have found a body close to his own
size and used them as a cover for escape.

Terrible story, really like to find out what made him crack. I thought he would kill himself after his little rampage, most of these types do. Oh and
i agree with mythatsabigprobe..i used be staunchly anti-gun but not anymore i have to say.

Originally posted by Raist
Other than that for anyone in the area I would still be alert. Until they know positively sure it is him he could have found a body close to his own
size and used them as a cover for escape.

That is a good point. When events like this occur, we just assume that person has completely gone off the deep end and isn't thinking normally. There
could the chance that this guy IS thinking straight and has a plan.

Sky News - first shooting was outside a beauticians in Whitehaven. More speculation, but perhaps it all revolves around a woman?

The BBC reporter Chris Stuart in Whitehaven seemed to offer the Police some kind of defence for the amount of time it took them to find the shooter by
emphasising the size of the area of Cumbria and the thousands of roads that 'crisscross' the county.

But Stuart Hyde, deputy chief constable of Cumbria, refused to take that offer and praised his officers and all the emergency services very highly.
From reports so far it sound's like the Police reacted very quickly in Whitehaven and were on his trail immediately.

"I can confirm that we have found a body in a wooded area of Boot which we believed to be Mr Bird together with a firearm," said Stuart Hyde,
Assistant Chief Constable of Cumbria Police.

He said there had been a number of fatalities and injuries but would not confirm numbers until police had spoken to relatives. The BBC reported that
11 people had been shot although it was not known how many had been killed.

TAXI DRIVERS DISPUTE Another taxi driver from Whitehaven, who declined to be named, told Reuters that Bird, who he had known for about 20 years,
had shot two other taxi drivers in a dispute. "It came out of the blue. He is a quiet guy," the taxi driver said. Receptionist Helen Owens, 27,
working in a lawyers' office about 150 metres down the road from the shooting, said she heard two shots. "We heard a bang and then we saw a police
officer running towards where the shooting happened," she told Reuters. "I popped my head out of the door and saw him stop and flag down a passing
car and jump into the car with another guy and then we heard another bang." Bird was last seen heading towards the central area of Cumbria, in the
heart of the Lake District. The Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in Seascale said all the site gates had been closed, with staff told to remain
at their posts on site while the incident was continuing. However it said its operations were unaffected.

I LIVE in Whitehaven and previously lived in BOTH Seascale and Gosforth.

Today is my day off work, i work at Betfred, which is about 20 yards away from the first shooting, so i am glad i am off work...

Today is such a surreal day, Whitehaven and the whole of Cumbria is a very very rural area where nothing like this ever goes on, its amazingly
rare.

I woke up to being told to lock the doors as a gunman is on the loose, apart from farmers its very rare for someone to even have a gun around here.

The only person i know who is pretty much confirmed dead is Gary Purdam, he is the son of my old P.E teacher and a rugby player, he was even in
Englands rugby squad, very well known.

Before any conspiracy's start on this, he was just a taxi driver, and Cumbria is a VERY quiet place and he has just lost it and been a selfish ****
that should of killed himself rather than killing others.

I am just glad all my family and friends are safe.

Although i am still waiting to find out who has died as i more than likely will know them....

Peoples reactions, a friend who lives in Seascale just text me (shs currently on holiday in Italy)

"Im freaking out, i cant believe that happened when we go away...The man from gosforth that died is mrs purdhams son. and the man that was shooting
shot the woman from seascale right in the head outside the shop. He killed himself just by where i work, so glad i wasnt at work today"

Everyone knows everyone around here and thats why i bet i sadly know most of the victims when announced.

Facebook is going mental, all my friends updating constantly, so far no one close to me is hurt.

The rumors going around are basically hes just been shooting people randomly point blank in the face with a shotgun.

Since he killed himself we will get no answers...

5 People confirmed dead so far, ive had BBC News channel (sky 503) on since around half 11 this morning watching none stop.

Rod Davies, landlord of Gosforth Hall Inn, said there are unconfirmed reports locally that Bird shot his mother. He rang through this graphic
sequence of events with PA:

"The guy flipped for whatever reason. Whether it was pre-meditated, we don't know. We've heard he returned home and shot his mother. Then he has
gone on a spree to Seascale, where he's believed to have caused two fatalities. He then left Seascale and went through Gosforth where he's believed
to have killed a local farmer, and shot him at point-blank range.

He's then headed to the valley where Boot is." Mr Davies said that shortly after they heard the man had arrived in Boot, police called to inform him
it was safe to leave his property. I'm welling up as I knew the local farmer who is believed to be killed."

Byrd has killed one of your customers ..Darren, the slim guy with short dark hair , a fellow taxi driver who supports Middlesborough and local
reports say that Byrd, a weird loner, has shot and killed his mother.

Home Office figure show that there are 22,476 licensed shotguns in Cumbria with 9,868 shotgun certificates in force on March 31 this year. In the
last year 370 new certificates were granted and only two applications refused by the Cumbria police.

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